The Tales and Tellings of Hallows' Grove (MLM)

CHAPTER TWENTY.

                Henry had just opened the door to leave the next morning when he found Simon, one hand raised to knock, the other arm holding tight to a mess of maps.

"I think I've found it," he said in lieu of a greeting, and came in.

"Simon," Edward stepped out of the bedroom. Henry was grateful Edward's brother didn't notice him dressing. "What're you doing here so early?"

"I thought you and Adele were coming by later," said Henry.

"She's running late," Simon said distractedly, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Grabbing a few things to be able to stay here, keep the howlite on ice and all. But listen—" he said quickly, laying out the maps on Henry's coffee table and flattening them with Henry's candles and vases. "I've been pouring over all possible locations Vera could awaken the spirits, and I think I've finally found it."

"You never knew of it before?" Edward asked and Henry repeated the question.

Simon shook his head, grim. "She kept almost everything to herself, told us only what we needed to know, and what she knew would scare us enough to keep us obedient. That is, until someone more powerful came along," he said with a pointed look at Henry.

"I told them you were made of magic," Edward smiled and kissed his cheek. Henry cleared his throat and pretended the heat in his cheeks was from the fireplace.

"I'm surprised, honestly," he said, changing the subject, "that you were able to find out where she was going when she has so many invisible spies around."

"It's a real task," he confessed. "She gloated once, how none of us humans could see what she could. How we had ghosts walking amongst us without us even knowing."

Edward shuddered. "To be surrounded by spirits all the while and not know it? That's right creepy."

Henry raised his brow, a smile stretching his lips, and Edward blushed. "Well, you know I'm here! It's different!"

"Well," Henry sighed, "she won't be able to get them past a witch. If any come, I'll sense them."

He crossed his arms and tilted his head at the maps. The papers were torn, patches were sealed with sticky notes that were drawn over, and none of the parchments matched. "Where did you find these?"

Simon waved away the question. "I'm a topographer," he said. "It's how I made my siblings and I some money to survive. As soon as we got here I started mapping out everything I saw, convinced I'd need it."

"Guess you were right," Edward said, standing at Simon's other side. "This is really good! There's Mr. Morris's clock shop, and there's the bakery!"

"And there's a screaming Mr. Cross," Henry mused at the small, angry drawn man standing in front of the library. "You've met him?"

"Shooed me out before I could set foot in the door," he said. "He doesn't like me much."

"He doesn't like being involved," Henry smirked. "I suppose you didn't have much help from the police either?"

"Didn't even try it," Simon confessed. "What would I say? 'Help, the sister whose death I helped fake and the brother we took and I are being held hostage by some magical creature with purple hair'? I wouldn't have believed me."

"Pardon me," said Henry coolly, "but Mr. Cross, my brother, and I are the only magical creatures in Hallows' Grove. Oh, and Edward."

Edward smirked and winked.